This invention relates in general to an air perimeter support for waterbed mattresses, and more particularly to a marginal perimeter support of simplified construction and the metod of manufacture for such air perimeter support.
In my recent U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,463 (issued Apr. 30, 1985), I have disclosed a new and improved air perimeter support for the marginal perimeter of a waterbed mattress in a floatation sleep system. Such air perimeter support employs a cantilevered member extending from the top portion of the air perimeter support to a location beneath the waterbed mattress. As a result of the particular location of such member, the weight of the mattress is utilized to create a force on the air perimeter support to retain such support in effective marginal perimeter support relation with the mattress. This force also serves to maintain the shape of the air perimeter support (i.e., prevents bowing out of the air perimeter support). Additionally, the air perimeter support includes a plurality of internal struts which are particularly located to maintain the cross-sectional shape of the air perimeter support so that its overall external configuration is substantially rectilinear. This gives the air perimeter support a highly desireable appearance similar to that of conventional bedding, such as a box spring and stuffed mattress.
Construction of this patented air perimeter support involves joining (such as by heat sealing) of individual elements of the air perimeter support together in a step-by-step process to build up a complete unit. While such construction provides a suitable air perimeter support product, it is heavily dependent on intensive manual labor, which materially adds to the cost of such product.